This invention relates to a printer and to a paper tray for a printer. In particular the invention relates to a printer for a personal computer and the like that may be stacked as one component for many electronic/electrical components or rack mounted as part of an instrument rack system.
In recent years computers have increasingly found a place in the domestic environment as well as in office and business situations. A large number of homes now have some form of personal computer for domestic use, and this normally implies in addition the presence of at least some peripheral devices such as a simple computer printer.
Conventionally a domestic personal computer is provided quite separately from other electrical/electronic home devices such as television sets, video recorders, laser disc players and hi-fi or audio-visual equipment. Often currently the computer may be in a different room, a study for example while the television will be in the living room. Increasingly, however, there is a growing tendency towards integration of all such devices. Audio-visual and xe2x80x9chome cinemaxe2x80x9d systems are beginning to integrate what previously were separate television and audio equipment With the advent of cable television systems offering Internet access, computing is also now being included in one integral package with audio-visual systems.
This introduces a difficulty, however, with conventional computer peripherals such as printers in particular. These are normally designed as stand-alone items and generally are not designed with aesthetic considerations primarily in mind. It would for most people be highly undesirable to have a computer printer in the living room next to the television and hi-fi equipment.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a computer printer that can be easily incorporated within a domestic audio-visual system. Such systems are usually arranged as stacks of components (eg television set, CD player, video player, amplifier and so on) and if the television set is to double as a form of computing device, it would be highly desirable to be able to incorporate the printer in such a stack.
The problem with doing this, however, is that space has to be provided both to access the printer to allow paper to be inserted, and to allow paper to exit the printer following a printing operation. In a conventional free-standing printer this is not a problem, and most printers have means to insert a paper tray in one side of the printer and for the paper to exit the printer from another side (usually either a top surface or the opposite side of the printer from the paper tray). Such conventional designs do not allow a printer to be xe2x80x9cstackedxe2x80x9d as part of other equipment.
Also known in the prior art are printers adapted to print images from video sources. Such known printers include a paper tray that is receivable in the front of the printer, and a separate paper output tray located in a slot closely adjacent and above the paper tray. However, such printers are only suitable for printing small paper sixes, e.g. postcard sizes, and cannot be used to print on A4 or letter size paper as is more normally required.
According to the present invention there is provided a paper tray adapted to be inserted in a side of a printer or like device, said paper tray having means for holding paper prior to printing thereon and means for receiving paper exiting the printer after printing thereon, wherein the paper receiving means is movable between a first inoperative position and a second operative position in which the paper receiving means is extended to receive paper thereon.
By means of this arrangement it is only necessary for one side of the printer to be easily accessed since a single paper tray serves both to supply paper to the printer and to receive printed paper. The paper holding means and the paper receiving means are integrated into a single paper tray that can be inserted in the front side of the printer. The printer can therefore be stacked with other components.
The fact that the paper receiving means is movable allows the most efficient use of space since the paper receiving means can be extended only when required. Preferably when the paper receiving means is in the first position it may be received substantially within the maximum dimensions of the paper tray that are received within the printer when in use whereby when the tray is inserted in a printer and the paper receiving means is in the first position substantially all of the tray is received within the printer.
Preferably the paper receiving means includes at least one paper supporting member adapted to extend telescopically from the paper tray. The tray may comprise a first paper supporting member that telescopes with respect to the paper tray, and a second paper supporting member that telescopes with respect to the first member. The paper tray may further comprise a paper supporting flap that folds out from an inoperative position to an operative position.
In the preferred embodiment the paper holding means comprises a paper cassette received within said paper tray. The paper tray is preferably generally rectangular and is formed with side and end walls, and preferably the paper cassette is generally rectangular and formed with side and end walls, the paper cassette being closely received within at least the side walls and one end wall of the paper tray.
The paper cassette may be adapted to be moved upon insertion into a printer or the like from a lower position in which the paper cassette is completely received within the paper tray such that the walls of the paper tray and the walls of the paper cassette are generally at the same height, to a raised position in which the walls of the paper cassette are raised above the walls of the paper tray. This may be achieved, for example, by forming the side walls of the paper cassette with cam pins that extend through corresponding vertical slots formed in the side walls of the paper tray.
It will also be understood that the present invention extends to a printer or like device incorporating a paper tray as described above.
Viewed from another broad aspect the present invention provides a printer having an opening in a wall thereof for receiving a paper tray, the printer further including a paper discharge opening located immediately above the tray receiving opening, whereby paper discharged through the discharge opening may be received by the paper tray.
Viewed from still another broad aspect the invention further provides a printer having an opening in a wall thereof for receiving a paper tray, the paper tray having an extendible paper receiving portion, wherein when the paper receiving portion is in an unextended state the paper tray is received completely within the printer.